Dust-guard.



n. M. BELL DUST GUARD;

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14, 1917.

Patented J lily 31, 1917,

- JNVENTOR. WITNESS. A

DILLWYE M. BELL, 6F OAK PELRK. ILLII-IGES, ASSIGNCR GK} THE PEESSED STEEL EQUIP- IllEN'l 'SOMPANY, F CHIGAGQ, ILLINOIS, A CORPOEATIQN OF ILLINOIS.

lUtET-GUAED.

specification of Letters Yatent. Pgtgntgd July 31, 191% Application tiled March id, 1917. Serial No. 154,664.

Z?) all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Drnnwrn M. BELL, a citizen or" the United States, residing at (lair Park, in the county of Cool and State 0i Illinois, have inyented a certain new and useful Improvement in Dust- Guards, or which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in dust guards, and more particularly to dust of the type wherein a plurality of opposed wooden sections are adaptedto be clamped about the periphery of railway car axle to exclude dust, grit and other foreign substances from the ournal box thereof.

Gne object of the invention is the provision of a dust guard of this typ wherein the opposed wooden sections are provided with reinforcing means adapted to prevent the same from being rendered inoperative by cracks or breaks which may occur therein.

Another ob ect of the invention is toproride a dust guard of the type described which shall be seli adjusting and which shall be adapted to automatically compensate for any wear which may be occasioned by the frictional engagement between said guard and the car axle; and further, the provision of means adapted to cooperate with the adjacent ends of the opposed wooden sections 7 to prevent dust, grit, etc, from passlng therebetween into: the journal box.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, taken. in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

Figure 1 is a sectional view taken through a journal box of standard construction and showing the dust guard applied to the car axle.

Fig. 2 is a. front view of the dust guard partly in elevation and partly in section.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. l is a section on the line 4-4 of F i 2. ig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the dust clips; and

Fig. 6 is a modification. Referring more in detail to the drawings, a journal son of standard construction is illustrated at A, the dust guard housing belog shown at B and being provided with theas usual closure (1 D designates a portion of the car axle shownin position in the journal box.

The dust guard is shown mounted within the housing B and in operative position on the car axis, said guard being shown as comprising a plurality of opposed wooden sections 1 and These sections 1 and 2 are preferably mounted within the channel of a U-shaped metal band 3, the lower section 2 being rigidly clamped between the overhanging flanges 01" said band, while the upper section 1 is preferably mounted loosely in the band, there being a slight clearance provided to permit of the adjustment of said upper section 1 relative to the lower section 2 to compensate for any wear which may be occasioned by the frictional contact of the axle with said sections.

The upper ends of the U-shaped band. 3 project sliqhtly above the upper edge of the top section 1, substantially as shown at 4, and are provided with inwardly extending apertured lugs 5, said lugs being adapted to receive the upstanding flanges 6 provided at the opposite ends of the transverse channel member 7. After the upstanding flanges 6 have been passed through the apertures in the inwardly extending lu s 5, the same are upset or clenched substantially as shown to thereby position the transverse channel member 7 between the ends" of the U-shaped band. 3. The side members of the channel member 7 preferably extend down over the top edge of the upper wooden section 1, substantially as-shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, to thereby reinforce the same and protect it against injury. Said member 7 also serves as a housing for the resilient member 8 shown in the drawings in the form of a leaf spring, said spring being retained in position within the member 7 by means of the depressed nib-9, adapted to engage a corresponding depres sion in the upper face of said spring. The outer ends of the resilient member 8, it will be noted, bear on the upper edge of the top wooden section 1, to thereby retain said section snugly fitted about the axle at all times, said resilient member also acting to support the lower wooden section 2 upward in firm'engagement with the axle.

A slight clearance is preferably provided between the adjacent ends of the wooden sections 1 and 2, as shown at 10, to permit of the spring 8 forcing said sections the clip, upstanding flanges 13 are 'faces of the lower wooden section substantially as shown and adapted to be driven into said Wooden section 2 to retain the clip in position. At the other .end of provided, between which the lower end of the upper wooden section 1 extends, a slight clearance bein provided between said section and said flanges to. permit of the adjustment of the former. It will be noted from this construction that the clips 1,

mounted substantially as shown in Figs. 2

'and 4 of the drawings, cooperate with'the adjacent ends of the opposed wooden sections to provide a substantially dust-ti ht joint. The flanges 12 of the clips, pre erably engage the lower wooden section 2 in such manner that the same will beheld securely within the channel of the U-shaped band 3 substantially as shown. In view of the fact that the U-shapedband 3 clamps the lower wooden section 2 rigidly, the fastening means provided in connection with the depending flanges 12, which are adapted to be driven into the opposite faces of said section 2 may be dispensed with if desired, the inward pressure exerted by the V band 3 being sufiicient to retain the clips in operative position.

In practice, it may be found desirableto provide means adapted to cooperate with the resilient member 8, whereby the downward pressure exerted thereby will not be restricted to a limited area. It is obvious that in the event that the upper section is broken or split at a point or points out of the range of the spring tension, no pressure will be exerted. downwardly on that portion of the section which has been broken or split off. One means of providing against this is illustrated in Fig. 6, wherein a plate 14 .is shown mounted loosely on the top edge of the wooden section 1. Accordingly, the

downward pressure exerted by said'spring is transmitted through said plate 14, over the entire upper edge of the top section 1, and thus tends to hold the upper section snugly fitted about the axle'rega'rdless of whether or not said section is split or broken.

. In applying the dust guard to an axle after it has been assembled as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, said dust guard is placed within the housing Bof the journal box A.

The upper wooden section 1 is then raised against the action of the resilient member 8 1n any suitable manner, a recess 15 being provided in the upper edge of the top secin the channel member 7 as far as possible.

This spreading apart of the wooden sections 1 and 2 enlarges the opening therebetween sufliciently to permit of the insertion of the axle therethrough, after which the upper section 1 is released and the action of the resilient member 8 securely clamps said sections snugly about the periphery of said axle, the dust clips 11 cooperating with the spaced inner ends of said sections to pro vide a dust guard which is substantially dust tight as above pointed out.

It is clear from the foregoing hat a dust guard has been provided which is simple both in construction and operation and which is cheap to manufacture, one which is adapted to automatically compensate for wear, while at the same time the possibility of dust or grit leakage is reduced to a minimum; and further that the opposed sections of said guard'are substantially reinforced around their entire outer edges, to thereby protect the same against injury and to prevent said guard from being rendered inoperative by cracks or breaks. It is obvious that the wooden sections, being seated in the channels of the encircling members, will be held in proper position even though cracked or broken, and that the tension exerted by the resilient member will retain said sections firmly clamped about the axle at all times. v

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the structure herein illustrated, and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the right is therefore reserved to make such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to ters Patent of the United States is:

1. A dust guard comprising a channeled U-shaped band, opposed wooden sections fitted therein and adapted to be separated when said guard is placed on an axle, a plurality of clips adapted to be secured to one of said sections and provided with upstand ing flanges adapted to engage the other or" said sections to prevent dust and grit from passing therebetween.

2 A dust guard .comprising a U-shaped channeled band, opposed wooden section's mounted within the channel of said band, a transverse channel member connecting the ends of said U-shaped band, the upper edge of one of said Wooden sections extending into the channel of said transverse member, and means interposed between said member secure by Letand said section to hold said guard'closely fitted about an axle. v

3. A dust guard comprising a plurality of wooden sections, a U -shaped band, a transverse member connecting the ends of said band and provided with depending flanges "adapted to overhang one of said wooden sections, and means housed within said transverse member adapted to retain said .sections in position on an axle.

4. A dust guard comprising a plurality of channeled bands and opposed axle-fitting sections fitted withinv said bands, one of said" sections being mounted loosely in one of said bands while the other of said sections is held rigid thereby.

5. A dust guard comprising a U-shaned channeled band, a plurality of opposed axlefitting sections mounted therein, and a transverse channel member connecting the ends of said band and extending over the upper edge of one of said sections.

6. A dust guard comprising a U-shaped channeled band,'a'plurality of opposed axle- I In witness whereof, I, hereunto subscribemy name this 9th da of March A. D. 1917. nniLwYN M. BELL. 

